City leaders honor Glendale youth who swam across the San Francisco Bay to raise awareness about drowning prevention

Braxton Bilbrey is a pretty strong swimmer. During the last few months, the Glendale 7 year old has tested his strokes in cool waters at Lake Pleasant and early morning hours at his swim club pool. He's also taken every tip his swimming coach has had to offer and put it to use, his goal to get stronger and swim faster and farther.

His hard work paid off May 22 when, in front of national TV cameras, the Glendale youth swam the 1.4 miles from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco's Aquatic Park. Accompanied by his coach, two other swimmers and a coast guard boat, Braxton crossed the 53 or so degree waters in 47 minutes. And while getting a good time was important to the youth, who plans to also swim the English Channel in the future, Braxton's main focus was on spreading awareness about drowning prevention and raise money for the cause.

Community Support

Glendale leaders, safety officials and members of the community gathered at Cactus Pool in Glendale June 1 to celebrate Braxton's achievements. Mayor Elaine Scruggs presented Braxton with an official proclamation and Councilmember Steven Frate of the Sahauro District presented the youth with a special certificate. Members of the Glendale Fire Department also honored Braxton with a fire department hat and T-shirt and invited the youth to be an active participant in their upcoming (June 28th) Water Safety Walk. Glendale Parks and Recreation employees also made Braxton an honorary lifeguard and encouraged him to apply for the job in about 10 more years.

To end the celebration, Southwest Ambulance presented a $5,000 donation to the city of Glendale Parks and Recreation Department for free swim lessons for Glendale youth in Braxton's honor.

Safety First

The Glendale Fire Department wants to remind people to always watch their kids around water. Barriers, swim lessons and constant supervision are critical in the prevention of child drownings. Glendale begins offering citywide swim lessons on June 5th.